Stick’em Up!
11.05.09
One thing you can say about politicians: Their tax policies are simple and easy to understand. That’s because it’s always the same two step program.
1) Find out where the money is.
2) Figure out a way to take it.
It’s a tried and true method that I suppose goes back to Medieval days when the Sheriff of Nottingham was earning a living shaking down Sherwood Forest citizens. It seems little has changed since.
The most recent scheme of government sponsored thievery comes from California, and from all accounts it is, if nothing else, inventive. To help close yet another gaping budget deficit, Sacramento lawmakers have authorized a 10% increase in the amount of taxes withheld from worker paychecks starting November 1 and through 2010.
Now here comes the wacky part. Lawmakers say this isn’t a tax increase. It’s more like a compulsory interest-free loan from taxpayers to the state. The government is obliged to return this overpaid money next spring when workers get their tax refunds. It would be like Eddie the Leg Breaker coming to your door and demanding that you fund his loan shark racket. Which raises a question: How do we collect on our loans next year? I’m unclear on the procedure, but I hear that Lead Pipe Lombardi is looking for work.
Tags: Add new tag, California, corruption, government, income, revenue, Sacramento, Schwarzenegger, taxes, withholding